An exhibition featuring the works of a renowned Cuban street artist is entering its final stint at a Toronto gallery.
Mania X Super Malo by street artist and prolific painter Fabián Hernandez depicts the artist’s signature masked character in a series of shrewd and occasionally comical images.
Mania Contemporary Gallery is hosting the thought-provoking and limited-time showcase offering a golden glimpse into the world of Hernandez’s balaclava-clad figure, Super Malo, on display until April 15.
Hernandez made a name for himself in Cuba with his artwork’s striking socio-political commentary and marked appearance.
His signature tagline, “2+2=5?,” is scattered across the decaying colonial walls of Old Havana. The symbol has earned him recognition for going against the grain and planted him firmly on the international art stage, notching exhibitions in Stockholm and Paris, and a reputation that precedes him.
Hernandez became involved in graffiti through skateboarding.
“Over time I realized many things that were not right in me and in my society, so I used the art of graffiti as a tool to express my feelings through what I was seeing and living,” he told Now Toronto in an email statement.
Graffiti is illegal, but Hernandez’s painted character has come to represent the necessity of expression in a society that seeks to squander it.
“My character with a balaclava is a reference to total fear of expression and the ‘2+2=5 ?’ with a question mark references that something is wrong and doesn’t add up. The question mark always goes on the left side of my character, on the side of his heart, to question if what he sees or feels or thinks is right when he is looking for an answer to the situations he faces daily,” Hernandez explained.
Hernandez described art as “a very powerful tool for life and a great medicine for humanity, whether social, political or spiritual,” and with graffiti he was able to expose an entire universe.
“I’m so grateful to Mania Contemporary Gallery for believing in me enough to bring me all the way here to share my art and message with the world,” he continued.
“I’m excited for the Canadian audience to know the story of my art, the message that it’s trying to portray,” Hernandez concluded.
The 26-year-old continues to illustrate the streets of Havana with his colorful and socially conscious graffiti while transitioning toward commercial multimedia work.
Hernandez’s art can been seen at Mania Contemporary Gallery by appointment only or on their website at www.maniacontemporary.com.
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April 13, 2024 at 07:28AM
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'2 + 2 = 5?' Cuban Street artist debuts thought-provoking work at Toronto exhibition - NOW Toronto
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